Team Canada goalie situation remains fluid

Kristen Odland, Calgary Herald12.12.2012

Canadian world junior team hopeful Laurent Brossoit, a Calgary Flames prospect blocks a shot while playing for the University of Alberta Golden Bears team during an exhibition match against Team Canada hopefuls on Wednesday.

Head coach Steve Spott and the Hockey Canada staff met with the remaining 31 players Wednesday night to prepare them for their final round of auditions today.

“Basically, we are talking to them about opportunity. You don’t want to have any regrets. You want to make sure you leave your game out on the ice because, obviously, (today) more decisions have to be made.

“You have to take advantage of your opportunities because, ultimately, offensive players have to find ways to create offence and the guys that are physical players have to be physical. From Day 1, I can look every one of those boys in the eye and say, ‘You have to play hard’ and, ultimately, decisions have to be made.

“That’s the tough part about this business. It’s not easy.”

The goaltenders, for one, are going to get a third test under their belts Thursday at noon when Team Canada quares off for a final selection camp game a group of CIS players from the University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge, and Mount Royal University. Final cuts and the 2013 Team Canada roster will be announced a few hours later.

Following Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to the University of Alberta at WinSport’s facilities — which saw Laurent Brossoit and Jake Paterson play for Alberta while Malcolm Subban and Jordan Binnington were in net for Team Canada — Spott said he was pleased with Brossoit and Paterson’s play.

Brossoit, who played the first half of Wednesday’s game, stopped 18 of 19 shots and his lone goal allowed was banked off a U of A defenceman in front and credited to Canadian blueliner Frankie Corrado. Saginaw Spirit goalie Paterson followed Brossoit and stopped 11 shots.

“I felt good,” said the Edmonton Oil Kings netminder. “To be honest, I was in one of those zones where wanted more shots and I wanted them to keep coming at me.”

Still, the next couple days aren’t going to be easy.

“It’s going to be nerve-racking,” he said. “Even though I feel like I played pretty well so far. You still don’t want to get that phone call.

“You never know what’s going on in their heads.”

Meanwhile, Belleville Bulls goalie Malcolm Subban allowed three goals on 18 shots — and all of them came within the first 10 minutes of the game.

“I tried to bounce back after that and I think I did pretty well after that. It’s tough sometimes, but you know, you just have to push through and hope for the best.”

Owen Sound Attack’s Jordan Binnington let in a fourth goal for Canada on a U of A power-play which wasn’t entirely his own fault. In the end, Canada outshot the U of A 31-26.

Today, of the four goalies, only three will be selected. Normally, Canada would only pick two goaltenders, but because of the travel overseas and as a precaution, they are taking a third — who will learn of his place in line, Spott said, sometime this weekend.

“I’ve said from Day 1, there’s four real good goaltenders here,” Spott said. “Whoever starts on the 26th in my mind is still wide open.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.